Mother’s Day is on 14 May, and this year, consumer spending on mum’s special holiday is expected to hit record highs. The National Retail Federation of the U.S. reports 85 percent of consumers plan to celebrate Mother’s Day, spending an average of $186.39 each. Total spending is projected to hit $23.6 billion—the highest in the survey’s 14-year history. Around 55 percent of those surveyed say they plan to shop at a specialty store or small business. We believe Malaysian celebrates this special day with mums too. How can you ensure your store gets its share of Mother’s Day dollars? Here, we give you some marketing tips for Mother’s Day.

Know What’s Hot

Mother’s Day jewellery sales are expected to grow by 15 percent this year. Also hot: flowers, gift cards, clothing and consumer electronics. If you sell any of these items, promote them heavily.

Offer Convenience

The easier you can make the purchase (think one-stop shopping), the better. Display Mother’s Day cards, gift cards or even fresh flowers at checkout for grab-and-go convenience.

Collaborate with Nearby Spas and Restaurants

Restaurant meals and spa days are hot Mother’s Day gift items. Partner with local spas and restaurants to cross-promote your business there. For example, you could offer shoppers a discount if they have a receipt from the restaurant next door, or have the spa give its patrons a coupon for your store when they arrive.

Target Multiple Kinds of Customers — and Multiple Gift Recipients

User-generated content platform Bazaarvoice, which helps retailers connect with customers, reports that last year, Mother’s Day online traffic peaked 25 percent higher than Valentine’s Day traffic. “Predominantly men buy jewellery and flowers for their significant others for Valentine’s Day, while both men and women buy gifts for their mothers in May,” says Bazaarvoice’s Alison Kwong.

In addition, “Many shoppers buy gifts for multiple mothers in their lives — wife, mother, grandmother — and it’s also common for parents to buy Mother’s Day gifts on behalf of their young children.” With a larger, more diverse pool of customers shopping for Mother’s Day, your marketing needs to be customised for different target audiences. Kwong cautions against using a “one-size-fits-all” approach to Mother’s Day marketing or targeting only the same customers who shopped at your store for Valentine’s Day. “Understand the different audience segments shopping for your products and adjust marketing messaging, ad placements and promotional offers accordingly,” she advises.

Image Credit: The USB Port

Time It Right

Bazaarvoice’s data shows last-minute shoppers accounted for a Valentine’s Day traffic spike the week before 14 February and the same trend occurred the week before Mother’s Day—meaning you need to start your promotions immediately.

Keep Mother’s Day Momentum Going

If your store sells products that are popular for Mother’s Day, such as jewellery, Kwong suggests you think about creative new ways to capitalise on slower sales cycles throughout the year. “Being resourceful and original in your timing, promotions and messaging can give businesses a huge competitive advantage if they boost their marketing efforts during off-seasons when their competitors may not be paying as much attention,” she explains.

Listen to Your Customers

“Pay attention and respond to customer feedback, read ratings and reviews about your products, and monitor what consumers are saying and sharing on social media to glean insights about who’s buying your products and why they’re buying them,” says Kwong, noting that this can uncover new markets you may not have considered. “For instance, a florist may discover that parents often buy their children flowers for graduation or after dance and musical recitals. Incorporating real-life testimonials or visual content around these meaningful moments in your ads can be an effective way to reach audiences you might not have targeted before.”

Get Personal

“We’ve learned that 54 percent of consumers want more personalised shopping experiences based on their buying behaviour, including savings and rewards based on past purchases. Targeting previous shoppers at the right time could turn a one-time shopper into a long-term customer.” For example, a jeweller or florist can collect customer data, then target husbands with relevant offers when their wives’ birthdays or their wedding anniversaries are coming up.

Keep these tips in your mind before planning for the Mother’s Day marketing campaign. Happy Mother’s Day!